In Reply to: Let's not jump to conclusions posted by Alan on June 22, 2004 at 14:57:27:
I do not believe for a moment that President Bush ordered torture and prisoner abuse. I think he will finally put a stop to it. I fault him for not firing Donald Rumsfeld.
This is not about media spin. It's about the facts as they come to light. There are official Defense Department memoranda coming out in course of the prison guard trials. These memoranda are alleged to show direct orders from Rumsfeld down the chain of command. This is what lawyers for the defense are claiming in their motion for release of these government papers.
Now lets see if the "government" moves to supress evidence in this trial where it serves the purpose of powerful men to scapegoat some stupid young people. The defense lawyers are interested in defending their clients. It's about uncovering the truth as the defense lawyers hear it from the people involved in the military investigation.
Military culture is such that prison guards' orders had to come from up the chain of command. The people who are leaking what's in the Defense Department memoranda from Rumsfeld are professional military in the upper echelons of the Pentagon. Military leadership are the guys who broke the story of the Abu Graib investigation to New York Magazine in the first place. The military is behind Bush, but they want Rumsfeld the hell out. This is the most unpopular & disliked Defense Secretary with professional military since the Viet Nam conflict.
But you don't have to take my word for it. There are military intelligence websites where you can read this stuff from credible sources.
I was very happy to hear President Bush flat out reject torture and prisoner maltreatment as a matter of official policy on tonight's news. This means he's not listening to Cheney-Ashcroft and he MIGHT be listening to Colin Powell and his higher power for a change.